Sassi Bhutto, the daughter of the late Shahnawaz Bhutto, has arrived in Pakistan to attend events marking the 41st anniversary of her father’s death.
The 44-year-old, who lives in the United States with her mother, Rehana Bhutto, is visiting Pakistan as the guest of First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, according to the report.
Sassi is also a cousin of author Fatima Bhutto through both their paternal and maternal families. Their fathers, Shahnawaz Bhutto and Mir Murtaza Bhutto, were brothers, while their mothers, Rehana and Fouzia, are sisters.
Background
Following the execution of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto during General Zia-ul-Haq’s military rule, Mir Murtaza and Shahnawaz Bhutto went into exile. In 1980, they established an organization known as the Pakistan Liberation Army, which was later renamed Al-Zulfiqar. Mir Murtaza served as its leader, while Shahnawaz was its operational chief.
While living in Kabul, the brothers married sisters Fouzia and Rehana, daughters of an Afghan Foreign Ministry official.
Shahnawaz Bhutto died on July 18, 1985, in Cannes, France. According to post-mortem findings at the time, his death was caused by poisoning. French authorities investigated the case, and his wife, Rehana, who was present in the apartment with their infant daughter, was briefly detained before being released. The circumstances surrounding his death have remained the subject of public discussion for decades.
Property Dispute
The Bhutto family’s long-running dispute over properties, including 70 Clifton, 71 Clifton, and agricultural land in Larkana and Naudero, has resurfaced in recent years.
In a social media post in May 2024, Sassi Bhutto asserted what she described as her legal claim to 71 Clifton and agricultural land in Naudero, alleging that these rights had been unjustly taken from her.
Her decision to stay with Aseefa Bhutto Zardari during this visit, rather than with Fatima Bhutto or Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr., has attracted attention in political and family circles. Some commentators have speculated that the move could be linked to the ongoing family property dispute, although no evidence has been presented to substantiate such interpretations.
